Though skipper for the evening Dire Mebude had fired City’s Under-21s into a first half lead, Lommel SK – part of the City Football Group family – took the honours thanks to two quickfire goals either side of the half-time break from Silu Metinho and Kolbeinn Thordarson respectively
Lommel SK came into the fixture having finished seventh in the Challenge Pro League campaign, the second tier of Belgian football.
Managed by former Arsenal and England defender Steve Bould, they presented a stiff and formidable challenge for Brian Barry-Murphy’s side in what proved an entertaining clash in Belgium.
An action-packed start saw both sides hit the woodwork inside the opening 10 minutes.
First, dangerous winger Amar Fatah saw a close-range drive cannon back off the City post.
Within three minutes, Tai Sodje followed suit for our Under-21s, a fiercely struck low drive hitting the inside of the post.
City’s early control and territorial dominance was eventually rewarded on 20 minutes however as we took the lead through skipper Mebude.
Coming into the game on the back of a fine PL2 campaign that saw him score 11 times, the Scottish Under-21 international showed his predatory instincts once again.
The right winger fired in from the right edge of the box, beating Lommel keeper Nikola Ivezic at the near post for a neat strike.
Lommel though proved talented and testing opposition and after Talvitie had fired over and City keeper Cieran Slicker denied Sam De Grand, the hosts drew level three minutes before the break.
Slicker was robbed of the ball as he attempted to play out from the back and Silu Metinho had the easiest of tasks to convert into an unguarded goal.
It almost got worse with Fatah then striking the woodwork for the second time with another rasping drive.
But three minutes after the restart the hosts did make another breakthrough as Thordarson’s near-post finish from De Grand’s cross caught City and keeper Mikki van Sas, a half time replacement, cold.
City sought to carve out an equaliser, coming closest when Jacob Wright’s 25-yard free kick on 68 minutes was tipped away by Lomel keeper Ivezic.
But it was the hosts who prevailed to claim the bragging rights of a rare victory over our Under-21s.
Brian Barry-Murphy’s side play the second of two post season friendlies on Friday night when they visit Brentford B in another game that will be screened live on CITY+ and Recast, kick-off 19.30 (UK).
Teams
LOMMEL: Ivezic, Aguillar, Metinho, Fatah (Martinez 71), Thordarson, Pierrot (Tollinson 62), Vancsa, Talvitie, Amankwah, De Grand (Nizet 62), Dos Santos
CITY XI: Slicker (van Sas 45), Agyemang, Simpson-Pusey, Susoho (Taylor 75), Galvez, Wright, Mebude (C) (Muir 83), Breckin (Okeke 67), Sodje (Dickson 45), Adam (O’Reilly 67), Hamilton
